Meet Crystal Romo | Makeup Artist & Flight Attendant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Crystal Romo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Crystal, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Covid impacted us all in so many different ways and when I had to leave my career as a newly fledged flight attendant (because of furlough)- I was forced to pivot. I had recently found a career I loved with all of my soul and thought to myself, well what now? Well, I’ve always had a creative side to me that I could never turn off. Those creative skills translated into makeup artistry when I turned 18. I came from a long history of beauty and fashion retail which I’ve always loved and felt so inspired being around. I worked for brands such as L’Oreal’s Lancome, LVMH’s Benefit Cosmetics and Tapestry’s Kate Spade. I become a makeup artist from age 18 on and always kept that part of me available to friends and family, even after I left the retail sphere. My close circle of friends would always ask me to do their makeup for special events or nights out. I finally thought to myself- Why don’t I just start my own business as a freelance makeup artist- free to work with whoever and in whatever creative capacity I so choose. I finally had the time to create fun looks on myself during quarantine and started sharing more of those inspirations with friends. On March 15, 2021 I launched my beauty instagram account as @crystalromobeauty where I share my current work, musings and connections with my creative peers. I will always love beauty and all its forms, whether it be a new lipstick, a flower bush along your walk, or a photograph you feel inspired by. Beauty exists in all its forms and I am here to capture it and lovingly share it with others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As a freelance makeup artist and flight attendant, I’ve really enjoyed creating unique imaginative looks and working on my own schedule. I stay inspired through my travels as a flight attendant and on my days off I create looks and schedule photoshoots with clients. One of my favorite whimsical looks I created was a femme Sailor Moonage David Bowie-Ziggy Stardust inspired look. Adorned with a fuchsia bob cut wig, I recreated the iconic lightning bolt look with more hot pink tones and lots of glitter. I’ve always been a major fan of David Bowie’s and put together this look on his birthday (Jan 8) then shared it with my instagram friends by going live then danced and sang to all his hits. That was a memorable quarantine moment, when we were all stuck at home looking for ways to entertain ourselves. Now that the U.S. has opened up more, I’ve been able to collaborate with more creatives and schedule more stylized photoshoots. My dream is to travel to foreign exotic destinations, create looks and capture them through means of my flight attendant career. Hopefully more to come from this, once more countries start opening up again.

I also really love the collaboration piece. My intuitive nutritionist healer and dear friend, Tyler Rolling and I have developed a more intimate style of “photo shooting.” Together we set the stage for our clients to bring out their inner goddess through meditation, oracle card pulling, my makeup styling, photography and our collective creative direction. We invite and guide our clients to really dive into their soul energy in order to tap into their true inner beauty and activate their most genuine selves. Once grounded and feeling soul ignited, I create their beauty look and then photograph while Tyler and I help coach and direct poses to capture their most goddess selves on camera. We set the shoot locations near nature settings, such as a beach, lake or forest, whatever our client prefers and feels most connected to. Then alchemy is made. We work together as a team and make our clients not only feel comfortable but their most beautiful goddess selves. The concept is a full service beauty and meditation package meant to really drop in on what’s going on inside and then beautifully capture the outside. We are SO excited to share this project and help women feel like their most authentic selves.

Making people feel beautiful brings me so much joy and that is the main pillar of my business- finding and sharing joy! I believe our one job in this life is to find joy and pursue what brings us joy. Of course, unhappy times exist and we work through them as best we can, so I lean into my journal, friends or family when those moments happen. Beauty to me isn’t just about the physicality of it we see everyday in billboards, on instagram or in magazines. Beauty is noticing how we feel inside and the specific items in our physical realm that evoke something in us. Heartbreak, falling in love, the seasons changing, travel, poetry, art, friends, music, celebrations, and life force are all places of beauty inspiration to me. To live is beautiful. It is my art.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I recently moved to Manhattan from Southern California and I expect several close friends from home to come visit this summer. I live in the Lower East Side and would start with a neighborhood walk along the water and show them the two bridges, Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge. I love the architecture along the water and feeling the breeze. After our brisk walk, I would take us to a dim sum lunch at Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which dates back to the 1920’s. We are living the second revival of the roaring twenties right? Little Island park just opened up near Chelsea and I would highly recommend scheduling a visit there. They take appointments after 12pm to limit capacity, so I would either say go very early morning or go online to plan a visit. I recently visited and it was absolutely enchanting and ethereal. That’s all I’ll say. The High Line is nearby and another beautiful space to walkthrough in the city. It’s an old rail line turned into a park above street level. Follow the line and you’ll run into the the beautifully designed Vessel. Manhattan is an architect’s daydream, the never ending display of high rise buildings and parks interwoven into it. The Vessel requires a scheduled appointment to climb it but you can also very much enjoy it on ground level. Central Park is a must see- my friends and I go to Sheep’s Meadow for picnics. You’ll see all kinds of young crowds doing the same. Pack your favorite charcuterie items and bring along! If you’re someone who fiends for art and inspiration, I would make a whole day visit to the Met Museum right near the Park. This museum is massive and filled with endless rooms of art. You can easily get lost here. If you’re a Gossip Girl fan, you’ll quickly recognize the steps Serena and Blair sat on. Once exhausted from all the art and city architecture, stop by the Hummus place for a casual yet delicious Mediterranean meal and then Levain cookies for dessert nearby. Levain Cookies are unreal, trust me. Once nightfall comes, Manhattan has an illustrious choice of bars to idle around. In the summer, I would suggest the rooftop bars from the likes of Public Hotel or Make Believe. If you’re feeling more mellow and anti-social, I would recommend an outdoor movie night at the Pier 17 rooftops. I follow @nybucketlist on instagram and they constantly share new places to explore in the city, That’s how I stay current with this wildly wonderful city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shoutout to Veronica Speck of VHS Ventures, longtime friend throughout my current and adolescent life. Veronica is one of my personal muses, for her love of travel, beauty and elegance. She is truly a class act who really cares for her work, herself and her close friends with a true passion. I have her to thank for creating this opportunity to share my story with you all.

Website: https://crystalromo.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: @crystalromobeauty

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-holt-romo-108a562a/

Other: pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/crystalarium23/

Image Credits
Hannah Claire Photography, Manny Mandez Photography